The site has dozens of audio files, created by more than 50 voice-over actors from around the world. With their sonorous voices, they read passages such as: “Paragraph Two, in such state in such year, Subsection E, Medicaid coverage for Medicaid eligible individuals, Paragraph One, in general.” That one in particular is spoken with rich, warm emphasis by John Zadikan, a Detroit-area voice-over professional who has worked for Kmart and AAA.

It took nearly three weeks of 12-hour days for the site’s two creators, Havens and colleague Kathleen Keesling, to pull together the entire bill, which was read by volunteer professionals working in home studios in locations as far flung as Colorado and the United Kingdom.

Havens, a professional book narrator, says she listens to the audio while jogging on the treadmill. Others say it’s the perfect car ride companion, especially for voters looking to brush up on their way to a town hall meeting.

But more important, it could be a lifeline for senior citizens across the country, who not only are the primary age group opposing the legislation but also may not have the visual ability to read the legislative fine print.

“I signed on to help out so that others could hear the bill instead of read it — the blind or sight impaired and those that prefer hearing to reading,” said volunteer Ken Maxon, whose website describes his voice as one that “doesn’t put your audience to sleep.”

The site creators have already launched a marketing campaign aimed at Congress, hoping that lawmakers will hand over additional bills to be recorded.

“Who has time to read legislation?” asked Havens, who has narrated everything from thriller novels to literature podcasts. She hatched the idea for the site during a health care conversation with fellow voice actors.

Keesling, who is the peppy sales voice for Amazon.com’s product features, as well as the Halloween witch in talking American Greetings cards, admits the project is one of her drier résumé points. “A close comparison would be the medical narration I did for the federal government,” she said.

A growing number of Americans seem to be reading the bill, and they’re readily castigating elected officials who aren’t doing the same.

“It’s like they’re imbeciles,” said one Las Vegas-area caller during Sen. John Ensign’s health care tele-town-hall last night.

Just hours after Hear the Bill launched Thursday, the hit count was already inching toward 50,000 listeners. Among the benefits to the audio version are that the voices reading the legalese sound pleased to do be doing so — right through to the 1,018th page. Some even inflect with amusing earnest. Reader Matt Ward, a U.K.-based professional, makes Pages 641 to 646 sound oddly alluring with his British accent.

But reading legislation isn’t as simple as reading a book, the site’s creators warn. Readers had to be cautious to keep their political leanings out of their recordings. “If you sound too enthusiastic, you could sound biased,” said Havens. “We wanted the recordings to remain nonpartisan.”

And there was one major snag in the process. Hours of audio files had to be rerecorded after there was confusion over how to read the bill’s organizational hierarchy of subsections, subparagraphs and clauses. Roman numerals that are not in parentheses, such as “IV,” are read as “Article Four.” Lowercase letters in parentheses, like (a), are read as “Subsection A.”

And much like the $1 trillion bill itself, money is an issue. Keesling has self-funded the project; it has cost her about $100 to keep the website running. But she’s worried she’ll soon need more bandwidth.

Capitol Hill staffers are currently scrambling to meld three different committee versions of the bill together. Depending on the changes lawmakers make, it could mean recording major sections or adding amendments.

“If we could get some sort of grant to do this long term, we’d be thrilled,” said Havens. “It will keep this information accessible.”

What great irony. The learning disabled, hearing impaired Congress. The American people are more up to speed on what is in this bill than the Democratic Party, which arrogantly proclaims their ignorance as some new standard. No Child Left Behind should have been called No Democrat Left Behind. The Democratic party has funneled money into the education bureaucracy and they have rewarded the party with a very pro-Obama atmosphere. Be educated? No, that would interfere with the control and manipulation game going on here. Of course, we fully expected doublespeak and reframing to occur regarding this huge mistake of fielding a bill they didn't read. ONE PROBLEM: Everyone else can read AND they read BETWEEN the lines as well.

No you can't off like that. You are running the show. You're in control. You are responsible. This is a takeover of one of the largest sectors of our economy. Never been done. Historically unprecedented. You cannot claim Republicans lied when YOUR OWN PEOPLE BRAGGED ABOUT NOT READING IT. That's called just plain old stupid incompetence. You can't dress that up. You all are the "messiahs" of the country. Educated at Harvard. And you are above reading. One cannot claim there's lying going on about the contents of a bill that went unread. It is an unmitigated political disaster, the responsibility for which falls squarely on the shoulders of the leadership of the US House and the White House.

The following are websites where Americans are not intimidated, by the Obama SNITCH Website tactic, nor are they voluntarily handing over their FIRST AMENDMENT rights to FREE SPEECH;

and they are Protecting the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution by speaking out with facts about the Obama Healthcare bills, and his use of our Billions of Tax Stimulus dollars, and his failures to provide TRANSPARENCY.

Go to http://tulsaworld.com for story on Congressman Inhofe’s concerns about a dictatorship,

and the Drudge.Report for the story on Congressman Broun’s concerns that Obama has or will have the three things necessary to make himself a DICTATOR—a Civilian National Security Force, gun control, and control over the press. (

Obama has a bill in Congress to give him power to take over the internet, virtually at his will and require American businesses to hand over private information under such a take over, per Glenn Beck on his website).

Go to http://bachmann.house.com to hear Congresswoman Bachmann’s concern that Commutarianism could result in Seniors, and disabled being cut out of healthcare, and worse if a government panel decides all medical care decisions.

Go to http://healthcarehorserace.com... for a list of the Sections of the healthcare bill that are alarming to many Americans, because, I believe that they undermine or take away our Constitutional rights and those protected by the Bill of Rights.

Go to http://thomas.loc.gov to read HC 3200.

Go to http://glennbeckshow.com to hear his REASONABLE QUESTIONS, about the Obama and his advisers, like Van Jones, a self-avowed Communist, etc.

Go to http://FAIRUS.org to hear how the HC bill gives free medical care to illegals, which will cost a bankrupt American taxpayers more millions, because there is no enforcement in the bill to keep them from getting it.

For More Details on how illegals will further drain our tax dollars if Amnesty is passed go to http://CIS.org and http://heritagefoundation.org where they describe how illegals will become eligible for unemployment, Medicare, Social Security, etc., at a time when American Tax Payers are questioning how we will be able to afford these entitlements in 2017 for American Citizens!

The alarming powers provided by the Health care bill are frightening, and every American needs to read the bills and stay involved, I feel, to prevent the USA from becoming a DICTATORSHIP.

My first thought "If any of the Congress had a commute this would be an ideal way to lull them to sleep probably takeing out a lot fewer inocent lives."

Actually after listening to some of it, the readers and creators (of the site) have done an excellent job. It is a shame that more of the public has a clearer idea of the bill (the one we have seen) than those who will cast votes.

I must congratulate Diane Havens and Kathleen Keeslings on such a noble effort to record HR 3200 to MP3 as I know how difficult it is to read and record America's Affordable Health Choices Act 2009. I've been trying to do this on my own since early August, and still have 600 plus pages left to read and record. If anyone wants to listen to my unedited MP3 recordings, just go to my web page http://ushealthcare.all-link.b...

If reading the 1,018-page health care bill doesn’t appeal to voters and lawmakers, there’s an easier option: Listen to it — via free downloadable audio files of professional voice-over actors reading the bill aloud. All 24 hours’ worth of it.

why, beyond a point of familiarization? i'm justified in asking cause you only mention HR3200, you're talkin' one of five bills or did that escape you somehow? do you have the others available in such format? of course the senate finance committee version will emerge in hours as i type this, sections of draft been released to the media.

over the debate of health care reform and the obama presidency, i'm struck by the constant assertions of nazism, soclist, marxist and on, from people who have demonstrated an utter lack of knowledge as to how their own democratic republic form of government works, how a bicameral legislature works.

you say seniors are the primary opposition to the legislation thanks, as a result of the town halls we also saw how many of those seniors are clueless to the facts Bob Cesca: Keep Your Goddamn Government Hands Off My Medicare! medicare of course being government run health care as is medicade, the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plan (what members of congress have). then of course there's the only true "single payer universal coverage plan" in this nation- VA health care. where the federal government owns th hosptitals/facilites, pays the doctors and nurses and negotiates drug cost.

how bout this recent phenomena, i posted ealier another thread;

i don't understand this at all. the right has argued for months on end that the proposed "insurance exchange" that would provide a number of health insurance options and providers the uninsured would be able to obtain coverage under would drive private insurers out of the market and particularly when combined with a "public option." they've insisted that those already having health insurance they are pleased with, would be driven into the insurance exchange/public option against their will, of course they provide no proof of this.

what have we now? MSNBC's dillion radigan & joe scarbrough are now attacking health care reform for not allowing those currently insured to enter the insurance exchange. THAT'S RIGHT. they argue that the proposed bills before congress do not provide "choice" to the millions of americans already insured. dillion radigan says he's being denied the option to switch out of his GE provided plan (GE is parant to MSNBC). this exemplifies the complete and utter silliness of the right. having scared the crap out of the insured, telling them they would be FORCED into government run health care these right wing supporters now want the option to join into their so called "government run health care".

the insurance exchange and public option has always been discribed as a means of providing health insurance coverage for those without whether due to preexisting conditions, unemployed, having been dropped froma plan AND for those small businesses unable to afford health insurance for their employees.

the president obviously knew what he was talking about when citing during his last couple of rallies, that 'we're close to getting this thing done and the right is going to throw all they have at defeating reform.'

you're just one more kitchen sink, commode, spittoon thrown in the works...

Gross government waste or violations routinely come about when the bills are not read. Witness:Bank Bailouts, Stimulus Package, Health Care Reform Bill.

I don't care what Party a person belongs to. If a lawmaker is going to vote in favor of the bill, that person has a moral and fiduciary responsibility to read and thoroughly analyze the bill. This applies to any bill.

Competent deliberation is not possible if no one has read the bill. Read it. Understand it. Have a fine-tuning debate about it. Please learn more at: www.honorinoffice.org.

Gross government waste or violations routinely come about when the bills are not read. Witness:Bank Bailouts, Stimulus Package, Health Care Reform Bill.

I don't care what Party a person belongs to. If a lawmaker is going to vote in favor of the bill, that person has a moral and fiduciary responsibility to read and thoroughly analyze the bill. This applies to any bill.

Competent deliberation is not possible if no one has read the bill. Read it. Understand it. Have a fine-tuning debate about it. Please learn more at: www.honorinoffice.org.

Gross government waste or violations routinely come about when the bills are not read. Witness:Bank Bailouts, Stimulus Package, Health Care Reform Bill.

I don't care what Party a person belongs to. If a lawmaker is going to vote in favor of the bill, that person has a moral and fiduciary responsibility to read and thoroughly analyze the bill. This applies to any bill.

Competent deliberation is not possible if no one has read the bill. Read it. Understand it. Have a fine-tuning debate about it. Please learn more at: www.honorinoffice.org.

Ok so you birthers deathers tea partiers so proud your Tea Party's ! Aren't You ! Getting ready to lip stick ya ! You admire George Washington one founding fathers lead US too freedom ! Don't YA ! Ok birther deathers tea partiers as some lead revolution agaisnt paying tax's in late 1790's agaisnt tax on liquor, George Washington the Commander in Chief Marched his Army into there rebellion, a Army larger than one he used to win revolutionary War.

So Taxs could be paid to pay for Revolutionairy War. So support the troops ya birther deathers, PAY YOUR DAMED TAXS !

PS Texas got Great GOOD NEWS FOR YOU, your Gov. Perry was a idiot to encite succession ! Thou, we came to exspect that from Texas Politicans lately !

I enjoyed reading the bill. I love a good laugh. I will particularly enjoy watching all the Liberals being marched off to jail, for not buying their premiums, thinking the rich were going to pay their way, again. It is a Brave New World, quickly turning into a Joke, led by the greatest joker of all, Nancy P.,and followed by Barney and Dodd, along with Harry and Kerry. But if you think the healthcare bill is a good read, wait till you settle down in your easy chair, with that other great bill, "Cap and Trade", or "How to Save the World", by Barbara Boxer. Yes, the hits keep coming, from some of the greatest writers in Congress. I just can't wait to see the movie.

.. but, I do say the Bushie base as supported War, made profitts off of it, sure don't wanta pay for it... ya TEA PARTIERS SUPPORT THE TROOPS ! Ol Ghoulianna even made a bundle selling bunch of software was FUBAR !

It took nearly three weeks of 12-hour days for the site’s two creators, Havens and colleague Kathleen Keesling, to pull together the entire bill, which was read by volunteer professionals working in home studios in locations as far flung as Colorado and the United Kingdom.

The Bill’s phraseology is boring in itself unless you are an expert AND you are defending your interests. So we trust our beloved representatives to do the jobs they are paid for and to read the whole pack in order to defend our interests. I am joking of course as the beloved reps certainly did not read the whole thing. At least not with the needed attention to understand, amend or intervene.

The whole cacaphony around "reading the bill" is categorical nonsense, and if Politico and other similar sites were really interested in educating the public about the manner in which legislation is crafted, negotiated and approved, there would be more articles on why reading complete bills would be a waste of legislator's time unless they are directly involved in crafting the language... and why no one, not even the fringe right does it. (I've never imagined Michele Bachmann to be a very meticulous analytic sort).

First of all bills are written in very dense legalese for a very good reason. Parts of the bill have to reference existing law and regulations, and have to be precise enough to spawn regulations handling millions of real world situations. This means that bills aren't written so that the customers in some barber shop in Meridian Mississippi can really follow and understand it. They are written so that bureacrats and regulators can implement them in the real world, and so that judges and justices can interpret them. That's the way the real world works, despite whatever people who overdosed on Ayn Rands extended comic books may think.

So how do all legislators (including nutty demagogues) determine what's in a bill? Staffers, committee summaries, and lobbyists, combined with following the floor debates.

Here's the link to a decent article on the process.

I know there's some flaky notion out there that everything worth knowing in the world should be easy to summarize on a bumper sticker, but the world doesn't work that way. There are many ways for common citizens to educate themselves on important issues, but trying to read legislation as though it were a novel is not one of them. The best way to understand legislation is to read serious summaries by stakeholder organizations on all sides of the issue, and apply critical thinking to those summaries (in other words figure out why that particular organization is putting that particular spin on the issue). Then read papers from the various think tanks (on the left AND the right). Then, if you still have time, follow the committee and floor debates (which will almost certainly sound like a lot of what you've already read, since lobbyists feed legislators most of their information on the effects of bills). Sound like a lot of work? You bet it is. It's a lot more work than listening to Rush Limbaugh or browsing the Huffington Post. But it's a lot more effective than "reading the bill".